The Nation

Bush defends convictions

NASHVILLE, TENN. — President Bush suggested Thursday that he was leaning against a pardon for two border guards convicted last year in the shooting of an unarmed drug smuggler.

The case has become a cause celebre among conservative talk radio hosts who have denounced the verdict.

Bush noted that the prosecutor in the Texas case was "a dear friend" and said, "He is a fair guy. He is an even-handed guy. I know this is an emotional issue, but people need to look at the facts. These men were convicted by a jury of their peers after listening to the facts as my friend Johnny Sutton presented them."